Broiler feed calculator: how much feed a batch needs
A broiler eating to a 42-day slaughter age consumes roughly 3.3 kg of feed in total. Multiply that by the number of birds you expect to still be alive at sale, add a small allowance for spillage, and you have the feed to budget for. This page shows the full method so you can adjust it to your own strain and feed.
Calculator
The values below are the worked example. Change them to match your own farm — the results update as you type, and nothing you enter leaves your browser.
- Feed per bird (kg)
- 3.3
- Total feed for the batch (kg)
- 1,614.5
- Starter feed (kg)
- 193.7
- Grower feed (kg)
- 532.8
- Finisher feed (kg)
- 888
- 50 kg bags (bags)
- 33
Cumulative intake for one bird that survives to the target age. Compare it against your actual consumption per bird — a large gap usually means wastage or an intake problem, not a hungry flock.
What to budget and store. Order in phases rather than all at once so the last bags are not sitting in a damp store for six weeks.
Fed from day 1 to roughly day 10–14.
Fed from roughly day 11–14 to day 24–28.
Fed from roughly day 25–28 until sale.
Rounded up, because feed is bought whole-bag.
Method, assumptions and limits
What this tool calculates
Estimates total feed required for one broiler batch, split across starter, grower and finisher phases.
Who it is for
Small and medium commercial broiler farmers planning a batch, and anyone budgeting feed cost before placing chicks.
Inputs it needs
- Chicks placed — The number of day-old chicks you are placing in the house.
- Target age at sale — Most commercial broilers are sold between 35 and 45 days.
- Expected mortality — Birds that die early eat less, so mortality reduces total feed slightly.
- Feed wastage allowance — Spillage from overfilled feeders, rodents and damp storage.
Formula
surviving birds = chicks placed x (1 - mortality % / 100)feed per bird (kg) = cumulative intake at target age / 1000batch feed (kg) = surviving birds x feed per bird x (1 + wastage % / 100)phase split ≈ starter 12%, grower 33%, finisher 55% of total intake
Worked example
500 chicks placed, sold at 42 days, 5% mortality and a 3% wastage allowance. 475 birds survive to sale. At 3.30 kg cumulative intake each that is 1,567.5 kg, and adding 3% for spillage gives about 1,614 kg — 33 bags of 50 kg. Split by phase that is roughly 194 kg starter, 533 kg grower and 888 kg finisher.
Assumptions
- Cumulative intake follows a standard commercial broiler programme: about 1.50 kg by day 28, 2.35 kg by day 35, 3.30 kg by day 42 and 4.30 kg by day 49.
- Mortality is treated as spread across the cycle, so surviving birds are used as the feed base rather than chicks placed.
- Ad-libitum feeding with feeders and drinkers at recommended stocking numbers.
- Phase percentages are approximate and shift if you change the transition days.
Limitations
- Different broiler strains have genuinely different intake curves. Use your supplier's management guide when you have it.
- Heat stress lowers intake and raises the feed conversion ratio; cold brooding raises intake.
- Low-density or home-mixed feed will need more kilograms to reach the same weight.
- This estimates quantity, not bird weight. It is a purchasing tool, not a growth prediction.
How the calculation works
Broiler feed budgeting is a volume question, not a growth question. You are asking: how many kilograms do I need to buy, and when do I need each type? The calculation starts from cumulative intake — the total feed one bird eats from day one up to the day you sell it — and scales it by the number of birds you actually expect to sell.
Mortality matters because a bird that dies at day 7 has eaten roughly 150 g, not 3.3 kg. Using surviving birds rather than chicks placed keeps the estimate honest. Wastage matters for the opposite reason: feed that ends up on the floor or in a rat still has to be bought.
Starter, grower and finisher
| Phase | Typical days | Share of total feed | What it is doing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1–14 | ~12% | High protein (about 22–23% CP) crumble to build frame and immune development. |
| Grower | 15–28 | ~33% | Slightly lower protein (about 20–21% CP), higher energy, pellets for rapid frame growth. |
| Finisher | 29 to sale | ~55% | Lower protein (about 18–19% CP), highest energy, laying down body weight cheaply. |
What to do with the number
- Budget the cash, not just the bagsMultiply total kilograms by your local price per kilogram. Feed is normally 60–70% of the total cost of a broiler batch, so this single number drives most of your working capital need.
- Check it against what you actually useRecord feed issued to the house every day. At the end of the batch, compare actual kilograms against this estimate. A 10% overshoot with normal bird weights almost always means wastage rather than appetite.
- Work out your feed conversion ratioDivide total feed used by total live weight sold. A well-run batch sold at 42 days typically lands between 1.6 and 1.8. A much higher figure points at feed quality, wastage, disease or heat stress.
What happens to the numbers you type
Nothing is sent anywhere. The calculator runs entirely in your browser, no result is saved to a server, and no shareable result URL is created. If you want to keep a record of a batch plan, save it to your own farm records inside the Poultrix Hub app, where it is tied to your account and protected by your login.
Sources
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